Amazon.com
In the spring of 1988, Boston Globe reporters Dick Lehr and Gerard O'Neill set out to write the story of two infamous brothers from the insular Irish enclave of South Boston: Jim "Whitey" Bulger and his younger brother Billy. Whitey was the city's most powerful gangster and a living legend--tough, cunning, without conscience, and above all, smart. Billy, president of the state Senate, was a political heavyweight in Massachusetts. These facts alone make for an intriguing story, but as Lehr and O'Neill found out, this was only the beginning.
John Connolly, a rising FBI agent and fellow "Southie," had known the Bulgers since boyhood when Whitey rescued him from a playground fight. After investigating organized crime in New York, Connolly was reassigned to the bureau's Boston office in 1975, and was determined to make a name for himself by relying on his old connections. He succeeded in a big way by lining up Whitey as an FBI informant in an effort to bring down the Italian Mafia--a major coup for both the FBI and Connolly. In exchange, Bulger received protection. Though heavily involved in extortion, intimidation, assassination, and drug trafficking, Connolly's "good bad guy" did not receive so much as a traffic infraction for over 20 years. In time, however, the deal changed, and information began flowing the other direction, with Bulger manipulating Connolly and a small group of corrupt FBI agents to further his nefarious network. The criminals and the lawmen eventually became virtually indistinguishable.
Black Mass expertly details the twists and turns of this complex story, painting a vivid portrait of Boston's underbelly and its inclusive political machine, as well as exposing one of the worst scandals in FBI history. It's also an examination of loyalty--to family, home, and heritage--and "a cautionary tale about the abuse of power that goes unchecked." As a final favor, Connolly tipped off Bulger that he was to be indicted on racketeering charges in 1995, allowing him time to go on the lam (he's reported to have access to secret bank accounts across the country). He was added to the FBI's "Ten Most Wanted List" in 1999. --Sharon M. Brown
Book Description
John Connoly and James "Whitey" Bulger grew up together on the streets of South Boston. Decades later, in the mid 1970's, they would meet again. By then, Connolly was a major figure in the FBI's Boston office and Whitey had become godfather of the Irish Mob. What happened next -- a dirty deal to being down the Italian mob in exchange for protection for Bulger -- would spiral out of control, leading to murders, drug dealing, racketeering indictments, and, ultimately, the biggest informant scandal in the history of the FBI.
Compellingly told by two Boston Globe reporters who were on the case from the beginning, Black Mass is at once a riveting crime story, a cautionary tale about the abuse of power, and a penetrating look at Boston and its Irish population.
Customer Reviews:
Perfect.......2007-03-14
This item was exactly what i ordered in the exact condition that i ordered it in. Would definitly do business with seller again! Thank you
The First Book.......2007-02-23
This book was the first book to be written on the Bulger/FBI scandal. For those who don't know; James "Whitey" Bulger ran Bostons Irish mafia for almost 20 years. He also was a Top Echelon Informant for the FBI. As such, they let him get away with all types of crimes, including murder. Making matters worse, his younger brother Billy was the Senate president of the Mass. state Senate. Another brother, Jackie, was a juvenile court judge. This family took corruption to new heights. Eventually they fell. Whitey is now one of the top 10 fugitives. This book by two Boston Globe reporters, details the Bulger brothers, their history, Boston politics, and how they all came together. This is a good book. The only problems are because it was written in 1998-1999, some things have changed ( For example, Bulgers partner in crime, Steven Flemi, has pleaded guilty to several murders, and is doing life without parole ). Also, there wasn't enough written about the Top Echelon Informant program and all the problems with it. I'd recomend getting 2 other books along with this to get a complete picture. 1 is Dangerous Alliances by Ralph Ranelli; the other is The Brothers Bulger by Howie Carr. All 3 books should give you a complete view of this scandal.
Frightening account of corruption.......2006-10-20
Black Mass is an unbelievable account of the illicit relationship between two Irish mobsters from South Boston (Whitey Bulger and Stevie Flemmi) and their FBI handlers (John Connolly and John Morris).
The book begins with background on South Boston and the "us against them" mentality of the residents. As a young boy, John Connolly looked up to and admired Whitey Bulger, a local gangster, and left an indelible impression on Connolly one day when Bulger rescued Connolly from a fight. Years later, when Connolly was assigned to the Boston FBI office, he sought out Bulger to turn him into an informant, hoping to make a name for himself. Bulger's younger brother was president of the state senate and Whitey by this time was head of the Irish mob in Boston, both highly regarded in their own circles.
Though Connolly may have begun the relationship with good intentions, it very quickly turned corrupt, and the information Bulger supplied Connolly was self-serving, and Connolly, never having grown out of his idolization of Bulger, did all he could to keep Whitey's record clean. The Irish and Italian mafias had a tenuous relationship, so for Bulgur, informing on his competition got them out of his way, and as long as he worked with the FBI, he was untouchable. Bulger's partner in crime, Stevie Flemmi, as it turned out, had been an informant for several years before Bulger. Rather than the FBI handling them, Bulger and Flemmi cultivated a bond with Connolly and Morris to ensure that they could do anything without fear of punishment. Reports were made up, lost, or taken; phone calls from other law enforcement agencies were ignored; Bulger and Flemmi's importance was inflated; and they were always one step ahead of a sting. Under the protection of the FBI, Bulger and Flemmi were involved in racketeering, gun running, drugs, and over a dozen murders - and got away with it.
What amazes me is that supposedly Connolly and Morris only benefited by $7000 during the two decades that Bulger and Flemmi were informants. Initially I believe that Connolly just wanted notoriety, but he is also flamboyant and likes living the high life, which it appears he did.
Eventually Morris' conscience bothered him enough to start talking, but it still took several years before Bulger, Flemmi, Connolly and Morris were indicted. Connolly warned Bulger, enabling him to escape. Flemmi, on the other hand, still thought that Morris would tell the court that this was all a mistake, and get Flemmi off as he had done for so many years.
As far as I know, Bulger is still a fugative and on the 10 Most Wanted List. I hope that regulations are now being followed to ensure FBI handlers are accountable for their action or inaction, and that the chain of command is aware of what the agents are doing. This was a well-written and engrossing story.
Incredible Book.......2006-08-19
I've had an interest in Boston and the organized crime around Boston for a while. I've actually had a big interest in the mafia in general. This is a great book with a lot of information that is very useful in understanding how corruption in the system allows organized crime to become more powerful and almost unstoppable.
More to come??.......2006-08-05
One might ask after reading this excellent book whether 2 kids,say brothers, were groomed to follow in the Bulger's footsteps but perhaps something went awry??
I know of 2 brothers from Massachusetts. Both were raised in state care during Bulger's reign. The older brother went into the army and a couple years later the younger was being harassed by activities a man who bore the same name in the same town, as if the younger brother had another identity created and which was made to look bad to hurt him in the identity confusion following. It is speculated the older brother set up the younger brother, both from Woburn,Mass and that the older brother after a name change went into FBI service at his younger brother's constant expense.Wherever the younger brother went the older followed and bad thingsalways happened to the younger as a result. There is a lot that went on but it looks as a duplicate of the Bulger's good guy/bad guy pairing for controlling different levels of influence was going on.
Amazon.com
What makes people kill? Specifically, what are the motivations behind serial, mass, and spree killings? Drawing from cases such as the mass murder in Dunblane, Scotland, in which a lone gunman mowed down 16 children and their teacher, the still-unsolved Tylenol poisonings, and the Unabomber, former FBI profiler John Douglas and coauthor Mark Olshaker try to explain the unthinkable. What sets The Anatomy of Motive apart from so many of the theories about these horrific acts of violence is that Douglas and Olshaker have no obvious political agenda. They don't look for easy answers and they don't provide easy solutions. They do, however, offer some insight into the twisted kind of thinking that can lead a person to believe that the solution to his problems lies in bloodshed. They also provide some danger signs that may help to identify the potentially violent criminal before he has a chance to act out his morbid fantasies. While The Anatomy of Motive is undeniably horrifying, it is also illuminating, and Douglas and Olshaker approach their topic with grace and insight. --Lisa Higgins
Book Description
From legendary FBI profiler John Douglas and Mark Olshaker -- authors of the nonfiction international bestsellers Mindhunter, Journey into Darkness, and Obsession -- comes an unprecedented, insightful look at the root of all crime.
Every crime is a mystery story with a motive at its heart. With the brilliant insight he brought to his renowned work inside the FBI's elite serial-crime unit, John Douglas pieces together motives behind violent sociopathic behavior. He not only takes us into the darkest recesses of the minds of arsonists, hijackers, bombers, poisoners, assassins, serial killers, and mass murderers, but also the seemingly ordinary people who suddenly kill their families or go on a rampage in the workplace.
Douglas identifies the antisocial personality, showing surprising similarities and differences among various types of deadly offenders. He also tracks the progressive escalation of those criminals' sociopathic behavior. His analysis of such diverse killers as Lee Harvey Oswald, Theodore Kaczynski, and Timothy McVeigh is gripping, but more importantly, helps us learn how to anticipate potential violent behavior before it's too late.
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In this eagerly anticipated paperback release from the international bestselling authors of Mindhunter, legendary crime fighter John Douglas explores the root of all crime -- motive. Every crime is a mystery story with a motive at its heart. Understand the motive and you can solve the mystery. Here, Douglas offers a dramatic, insightful look at the development and evolution of the criminal mind.
Customer Reviews:
Inside Smoldering Minds.......2006-09-04
This is an engrossing book that was ahead of its time in presenting the often seamy, often searching field of forensic science. Douglas brings us onto the crime scene, and gives us a view through the eyes of profilers, pathologists, analyzers, and detectives.
The only fault I find with the book is its general contention that criminals choose their behavior. Without rehashing the nature vs. nurture controversy too much, a consideration of some of the possible physiological factors influencing criminals might have led to a more three-dimensional view of the criminal mind.
Douglas uses the fact that an offender can almost always restrain himself from committing a crime while a policeman is watching him as proof that virtually all criminal behavior is under the individual's control. I can't help but think though of the somewhat parallel condition of people with disorders such as Tourette's Syndrome. Tourette's sufferers can at times reduce or even eliminate their ticcing behavior when they are briefly in public. But their tics will return all the more insistently when they are alone again. So a criminal's ability to briefly control himself isn't necessarily an indication that he can always control himself.
A compulsive element seems to be especially apparent in crimes such as arson, which Douglas is often at his best discussing. He links this crime to a desire to command and manipulate. The arsonist gets the satisfaction of watching a whole slew of people, firemen and victims alike, scurrying around as a result of the problem he has created.
However, as Douglas himself reveals, there is also often some physically-rooted obsession that goads pyromaniacs. Douglas presents the case of Peter George Dinsdale in England for instance. This man was an epileptic who would set fires after he experienced a tingling in his fingers followed by some triggering, often trivial, altercation with his victims. This description also left me wondering if the flickering of flames might produce a more markedly pleasurable, fixating trance-like state in some people than in others.
A variety of criminal acts that Douglas describes center around fetishes and fanaticisms that might similarly have some neurological quirk as their basis.
Overall though, Douglas does a fine job of putting his readers on the trail of the criminal. He brings Sherlock Holmes onto current crime scenes by illustrating how a forensic scientist's work boils down to details - attention to details. He cites the case of arson in which a Torah was purposefully burned from right to left - cluing the detectives into the fact that the perpetrator must have been someone with a knowledge of Hebrew.
And like Holmes' classic clue of the dog that didn't bark, Douglas alerts us to the importance of details that are not there. Such observations are often important in insurance cases. When someone burns his own property for money, he will often remove items of special sentimental value first. If there are no family photo albums left in the ashes - that's a clue.
This book reminds us that no detail is trivial or uninteresting. Any mote might have a story to tell. If we could approach life from the viewpoint of the forensic scientists in these pages - we would never be bored.
A trip to a very dark place.......2006-03-17
When it comes to bringing serial crime psychology and profiling to a level that a layperson can understand, Douglas is peerless. He identifies several different types of serial killers and includes true-life stories of a few he's dealt with in his decades with the FBI's Behavioral Science Unit. It's an engrossing, easily understandable and fascinating read.
Not as riveting as I expected.......2006-02-03
When I saw this book in a used book store, I thought the title was "Anatomy of Murder". Only later did I see that it was "Motive". Based on Douglas' other books about serial killers, I expected this book to deal strictly with serial killers. And it did not.
Douglas' book described a range of killers; and his chapters are broken down accordingly. There are chapters on the anatomy of arsonists; people who use guns to commit crimes; those who poison and why; and other chapters ranging from guys who simply snap to those who commit random violence.
I wasn't really interested in serial arsonists so I skipped that chapter. The rest of the book was interesting but I think the chapters would have been much better if Douglas had focused on one or two specific cases rather than telling us snippets of several cases.
Would I read this book again? Probably not. Several of his other books are better.
The Best in the Series.......2005-09-18
Real info and facts on serial killers. The behind the scenes look at the killers that we don't get from the news. An excellent and well-written book. Also check out Robert Ressler's books.
An intregueing read.......2005-03-30
The criminal mind is a mysterious thing. The anatomy of a motive is a look the mind of criminals. It goes thru cases in the career of John Douglass. This book explores the mind of everything from your serial arsonists to your serial killer.
John Douglas was a criminal profiler for the FBI for over 20 years. He's one of the greatest criminal profilers in history. He's also been able to write many books on what he knows about the profiling of criminals. The work he's done in his career has led to the arrest of many of the worlds most dangerous criminals.
The anatomy of a motive starts out when John talks about a period during his time in the FBI where he went around interviewing criminals. Many criminals would try to talk themselves up and show off who they were. Many of them would lie and talk about things they may or may not have done. It took John much effort to get past this to get what he wanted from the people he interviewed. He said that criminals I (p. 22)"main goals in life are to kill and to hurt- or as I've stated many times in my career, to manipulate, dominate, and control."
We then come to the issue of fire in chapter two "Playing with Fire." He explore's the mind of your arsonists. He goes into the idea that many criminals early in life will play with fire. They will also have other traits in common with each other. They usually have (p.47) "violent, antisocial tendencies often mistreat animals or smaller children. This chapter goes into the arsonists as sort of a "ticking time bomb." They will set fire after fire and if they don't get caught they will become more daring. They will take more risks and eventually evolve into a killer if not stopped. He also states how many of these arsonists will start out in a place they are comfortable in only. They won't go out of their "comfort zone" until they believe they are comfortable doing so. This was a major thing in the world of tracking criminals. That means they can look around the area where the fire starting began (or other crimes as it turns out) and get an idea who they might be looking for.
"Magnum Force" explores the idea of guns used in crimes. Many criminals get there ideas from other things such as kojack In one case two air force enlisted men tied up and tried to poison some people in a Hi-Fi shop. They tried using poison and it didn't work like it did in the movies. They eventually had to some of them because the poison didn't work fast enough.
In "Name your Poison" the book goes into poisoning by tampering. It goes into adding poisonous pills to a Tylenol bottle. This led all drugs to be covered with a safety seal. In this chapter John talks about the Tylenol poisoner as someone who was proud of what they were doing. John figured this UNSUB was a passive person who would be afraid of confrontation. He was also able to figure that this offender wasn't that organized or methodical about his poisonings. He would just introduce a cyanide capsule to a bottle and put it back on the shelf. John eventually came up with an accurate profile of the Tylenol UNSUB. John was able to get the UNSUB out by getting him to write letters into a newspaper about his opinions and what he hated about society.
"Guys Who Snap", "On the Run" and "Shadow of a Gunman" all run along the same area and are about people who one day just can't take it anymore and snap. They snap for a number of reasons. They may have lost their job. Maybe their wife/husband left them. Or maybe they just realized there life is at a dead end. They see they aren't really going anywhere. Once they can no longer deal with the idea they won't achieve the great things they have always wanted to receive they decide to either relinquish their current situation and move on or go out in a blaze of glory. One UNSUB in this section for example, kills his whole family and quietly sneaks away to start life anew. Another UNSUB realizes that life is doomed for him and decides to go out in a blaze of glory by getting on top of a building and trying to take out as many people as he can with him. He had no plans to escape this situation. He just wanted to not go out alone. In a story of Brad Bishop who kills and burns the bodies of his family, he wants to start a new life somewhere else. He goes onto do so and is eventually caught. He never wanted to kill his family, but felt that he had to.
"Shadow of a Gunman" also goes into killers who have obsessions with weapons. Many usually have large collections. At some point they just snap and decide to go out in the blaze of glory and kill whatever they can, using what they have and know about they're weapons.
In "Random Acts of Violence" John goes into the idea of random violence. A mail bomber mails bombs to random members of the academic community. Many of his devices will either kill or extremely mangle his victims. As he progress's in his killings his bomb style becomes his "calling card." The UNSUB also likes to show how he's evolved as he goes on in his bombings. His bombs get a little better every time. This offender is a well educated person who knows a great deal. This person is also patient and willing to put in a great amount of time in constructing his weapons. This chapter also goes into the Unabomber. It talks about Timothy Mcveigh and about how he's always been a loner who liked doing things alone. He was a quiet and passive person who couldn't confront someone face to face.
The book ends with a summary type chapter called "You Make the Call." This chapter has a few examples of cases talked about in earlier chapters and asks that you make the call and eventually tells you the answers on whether your assessment was right or not.
The Anatomy of a Motive was an intriguing look into the way killers think. It will give you multiple examples of how criminals work. It explores the development of a criminal. It can give you an idea of how to profile a criminal. After reading this book I believe I could accurately profile many people. If you know the way someone was killed or the way the crime was committed you can learn everything you need to know about the person who did it. You can get a personality profile just by looking at the case. In many cases you can tell if the UNSUB was associated in any way with the victims. You can tell if this person was passive and afraid of confrontation. You can also see if the UNSUB will be around the crime scene and will want to witness his/her work. This book can benefit criminal profilers and even someone who enjoys things such as "America's Most Wanted." This book is quite strong in areas such as arson and murder. It falls short to me in areas such as rape, and burglary. This book is a great look into how FBI profilers think and a look at some of the cases that they can see everyday. It explains how many criminals think and where they get they're start. If we listen to the people in our lives who appear to be on edge and befriend those who look like they're all alone, criminals will eventually cease to exists and the world will be a better place for the future generations.
Amazon.com
Mindhunter enters the minds of some of the country's most notorious serial killers to tell the real-life story of the Investigative Support Unit (ISU) -- the FBI's special force that has assisted state and local police in cracking some of the country's most celebrated serial murder and rape cases. The unit specializes in understanding the chemistry and mechanical workings of the brain's of these serial criminals, and did its homework by interviewing such murderers as Charles Manson and David Berkowitz (the Son of Sam). John Douglas, who worked for the FBI for 25 years, is an authority on the unit, and his book combines the best of nonfiction with that of a murder mystery.
Book Description
During his twenty-five year career with the Investigative Support Unit, Special Agent John Douglas became a legendary figure in law enforcement, pursuing some of the most notorious and sadistic serial killers of our time: the man who hunted prostitutes for sport in the woods of Alaska, the Atlanta child murderer, and Seattle's Green River killer, the case that nearly cost Douglas his life.
As the model for Jack Crawford in The Silence of the Lambs, Douglas has confronted, interviewed, and studied scores of serial killers and assassins, including Charles Manson, Ted Bundy, and Ed Gein, who dressed himself in his victims' peeled skin. Using his uncanny ability to become both predator and prey, Douglas examines each crime scene, reliving both the killer's and the victim's actions in his mind, creating their profiles, describing their habits, and predicting their next moves.
Now, in chilling detail, the legendary Mindhunter takes us behind the scenes of some of his most gruesome, fascinating, and challenging cases -- and into the darkest recesses of our worst nightmares.
Customer Reviews:
Another great J. Douglas book!.......2007-09-16
What can I say other than John Douglas never fails to deliver? This book is a great read, and I loved it!
Great inside look.......2007-07-10
Given Douglas' background there was little question that he would have a story or two to tell. In Mindhunter you get a glimpse of what it takes to conduct good profiling and what an instrumental tool the profile can be. The book covers some of America's most feared monsters and what role the Behavioral Science Unit played in their capture.
James A. Forrest - Eye of the Storm
Glad To Know They're There.......2007-06-09
With crimes becoming more and more heinous, it's good to know the FBI has minds like these working behind the scenes. Predicting the profile of criminals behind specific crimes is not only an art, after years of on-the-job training but also a very special gift. A fantastic behind-the-scenes look at crime busting well worth a read.
Absolutely Fascinating - A Must for "Criminal Minds" fans!!.......2007-05-29
I have been hooked on the TV show "Criminal Minds" lately and was so interested in profiling that I purchased this book. At the time I had no idea that the author was the basis for the main character in my now favorite show. Although undrestandably full of himself, this book gives amazaing insight into the criminal profiling world, discusses many infamous serial killers, and delves into an exciting world of criminal psychology. It has made me want to track down and read every similar book!
Mindhunter.......2007-05-13
Fascinating insight into the development of profiling. Full of real case studies, it is hard to put down.
Amazon.com
Confident in his opinions and systematic in his examination of high-profile whodunits, FBI veteran John Douglas proves his worth once again as one of the world's best psychological detectives. You may think you've read all there is about Jack the Ripper, Lizzie Borden, and the Lindbergh kidnapping, but Douglas has a few surprise conclusions in his modern analysis of these gripping crimes. By applying criminal personality profiling techniques he developed while stalking more current killers, Douglas provides a fresh, sage outlook on some disturbing history. He also sheds new light on San Francisco's Zodiac Killer, the Black Dahlia murder, Bambi Bembenek, the Boston Strangler, and the continuing mystery of who killed 6-year-old JonBenét Ramsey. Douglas sometimes reveals his chief suspect; other times he simply narrows down who the killer is not. In the JonBenét mystery (in which Douglas was hired by the Ramseys to find the killer), he presents a convincing case for why he believes the girl's parents are not guilty of murder. Douglas is founder of the FBI's Serial Killer Profiling Unit. His method of solving a crime by entering the mind of the killer inspired Thomas Harris's book The Silence of the Lambs. In this dissection of our most sensational crimes, Douglas proves that reality can be more horrifying than fiction. --Jodi Mailander Farrell
Book Description
America's foremost expert on criminal profiling provides his uniquely gripping analysis of seven of the most notorious murder cases in the history of crime -- from the Whitechapel murders to JonBenet Ramsey -- often contradicting conventional wisdom and legal decisions.
Jack the Ripper. Lizzie Borden. The Zodiac Killer. Certain homicide cases maintain an undeniable, almost mystical hold on the public imagination. They touch a nerve deep within us because of the personalities involved, their senseless depravity, the nagging doubts about whether justice was done, or because, in some instances, no suspect has ever been identified or caught.
In The Cases That Haunt Us, twenty-five-year-FBI-veteran John Douglas, profiling pioneer and master of modern criminal investigative analysis, and author and filmmaker Mark Olshaker, the team behind the bestselling Mindhunter series, explore the tantalizing mysteries that both their legions of fans and law enforcement professionals ask about most. Among the questions they tackle:
Was Jack the Ripper actually the Duke of Clarence, eldest grandson of Queen Victoria, or perhaps a practicing medical doctor? And did highly placed individuals within Scotland Yard have a good idea of the Ripper's identity, which they never revealed? Douglas and Olshaker create a detailed profile of the killer, and reveal their chief suspect.
Was Lizzie Borden truly innocent of the murder of her father and stepmother as the Fall River, Massachusetts, jury decided, or was she the one who took the ax and delivered those infamous "whacks"? Through a minute-by-minute behavioral analysis of the crime, the authors come to a convincing conclusion.
Did Bruno Richard Hauptmann single-handedly kidnap the baby son of Charles and Anne Morrow Lindbergh, the most famous couple in the world, or was he an innocent man caught up and ultimately executed in a relentless rush to judgment in the "crime of the century"?
What kind of person could kill six-year-old JonBenet Ramsey on Christmas night in her own home? Douglas was called in on the case shortly after the horrifying murder, and his conclusions are hard-hitting and controversial. Why, in the face of the majority of public, media, and law enforcement opinion, including former FBI colleagues, does Douglas believe that John and Patricia Ramsey did not murder their daughter? And what is the forensic and behavioral evidence he brings to bear to make his claim?
Taking a fresh and penetrating look at each case, the authors reexamine and reinterpret accepted facts and victimology using modern profiling and the techniques of criminal analysis developed by Douglas within the FBI. This book deconstructs the evidence and widely held beliefs surrounding each case and rebuilds them -- with fascinating and haunting results.
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America's foremost expert on criminal profiling provides his uniquely gripping analysis of eight of the most notorious murder cases in the history of crime--including JonBenet Ramsey--often contradicting conventional wisdom and the courts' decisions.
Customer Reviews:
Worth buying.......2007-09-16
This book is interesting, worth buying, and informative. I liked the varied accounts of interesting well known cases. It provided insight into the Jon Benet Ramsey case, among others. I would recommend this book to anyone. John Douglas is a good author.
Exceptional!.......2007-07-12
This is one of those books that can completely change your view of events on a daily basis. It's the best of Douglas' books, and it creates order out of what had once been utter chaos. His Jack the Ripper chapter was particularly valuable. There has been so much garbage written about that case that Douglas's logical analysis was very welcome. After reading this book, I can't look at any crime the same way again, and I have also come to a different understanding of human psychology. I have recommended this book to everyone I know, and even the skeptical ones, once they started it, couldn't put it down! It made the rounds of my office, and then of my friends, and then of my friends' friends! Warning: it can be grim and horrific. The Lindbergh baby case and the JonBenet Ramsey cases in particular were painful. The authors are skilled at conveying the horrors of these crimes, yet at the same time really delving into the psyches of the criminals in an unflinching way.
Can't Put it Down!.......2007-07-09
After reading this book, I'm convinced the little Ramsey son murdered his sister. He did it out of jealousy because Patsy Ramsey lavished all her attention and love on Jonbenet. That would explain the extremely juvenile "ransom" note, the fact that Jonbenet's body was dragged instead of carried, the fact that John Ramsey's best friend turned against him after he caught him, red-handed - trying to cover up evidence, etc, etc. John and Patsy Ramsey looked guilty because they were trying to protect their son from facing the consequences of his crime.
Interesting & Analytical, but Stiff.......2007-04-08
FBI veteran John Douglas (with Mark Olshaker) takes a detailed, analytical look at several infamous crimes including Jack the Ripper, Lizzie Borden, The Lindbergh Baby, Zodiac Killer, Joan Benet-Ramsey, etc. Only two of these crimes were solved, and even then some wondered if justice had prevailed. As an FBI agent Douglas has tracked killers via investigative techniques and personality profiling. Here he strives to establish truth without any seeming prejudices. Of course, establishing the truth in difficult cases isn't easy, and the result is many best guesses by the author. I found parts of their book to be a bit staid or long-winded, but a good investigator needs to be thorough. I particularly liked the coverage of the Lindbergh Kidnapping, where Douglas concludes that Bruno Hauptman was almost certainly guilty (he was hanged) but probably had accomplices (something the court doubted). I wasn't quite convinced in a couple other cases (like JonBenet Ramsey), but Douglas' approach remains logical and persuasive. Also, if Olshaker was not just co-author but co-investigator let's give him credit too. If you like thorough investigations and don't mind a detailed read, this book may be for you.
Murder most foul!.......2007-01-07
Jack the Ripper. Lizzie Borden. The Zodiac. Bruno Richard Hauptmann. The psycho who killed JonBenet Ramsey. Crispin Glover. O.k., that last name doesn't belong there, but the guy is so weird I thought I'd throw him in for good measure. All of these folks (except for Crispin Glover), according to former FBI profiler turned author John Douglas, share a common theme. One is murder, of course, but the other is their involvement in criminal cases that continue to haunt the public imagination. Plug in any one of the abovementioned names into a search engine and you'll understand why the authors chose "The Cases That Haunt Us" as the title of the book. On one of the most popular search engines JonBenet Ramsey brings up 780,000 returns. Jack the Ripper has over two million, Zodiac a million and a half. While not all of these links directly relate to these infamous cases, obviously, the numbers do show how these names have worked their way into the popular consciousness. And that occurred, sadly, because the crimes documented in this book are truly hideous, bone-chilling incidents of murder most foul that stand out even in a country as violent as America.
John Douglas is a familiar name to those of us who follow dastardly deeds. He once worked as one of the premier criminal profilers at the FBI. Profiling is a cutting edge psychological approach to fighting crime that attained national prominence thanks to the film "The Silence of the Lambs". It's also a lot older than the FBI. Profiling an unknown criminal in an attempt to catch him or her stretches all the way back to the 19th century. But Douglas and his ilk updated the techniques and have used them to catch many murderers. Clever killers who would never have been captured are now sitting in prison thanks to profiling. So what exactly is profiling? Well, according to this book it involves assembling every scrap of available evidence and using said evidence to assemble a mental profile of the suspect. Douglas and his colleagues then determine if the killer is "organized" or "disorganized". They can then use the profile to identify likely suspects. Many times their profile matches a person being held in another, minor case. The purpose of "The Cases That Haunt Us" is, therefore, an attempt to apply profiling to major unsolved crimes. The results are, to say the least, interesting and likely controversial.
If you believe Lizzie Borden killed her father with forty whacks, Douglas agrees with you--except for the forty whacks part. It took far fewer blows to do in Andrew Borden. But Douglas does believe beyond a shadow of a doubt that Lizzie killed her father and stepmother. He also comes up with a compelling suspect in the Jack the Ripper murders, although it's nothing we haven't seen in other treatments on the monster of Whitechapel. His analysis of the Lindbergh baby kidnapping endorses the view taken by history, i.e. that Bruno Richard Hauptmann was guilty of the crime, if not its prime architect. As for the Zodiac case...well...Douglas does a great job summarizing his terrible crime spree. Coming up with a viable, living suspect is another matter entirely. He also tackles the Black Dahlia mutilation, Bambi Bembenek, and the Boston Strangler outrages. He doesn't really shed new light on these cases, at least not in my opinion, but he does do an excellent job of assembling the facts and giving us an insight or two into the twisted minds that carried out the crimes. Ahh, to have had a modern profiler back in Jack the Ripper's day!
The most controversial part of the book deals with the JonBenet Ramsey murder case. If you ever want to read about a crime that chills the blood, peruse the various accounts of this horrific killing. It's a case so bizarre in nearly every one of its aspects that solving the crime has proved insurmountable to everyone involved. That doesn't stop Douglas, who once worked as a paid advisor to John and Patsy Ramsey, from taking a crack at this mystifying incident. Those who believe the Ramseys killed their daughter will fume at Douglas's conclusions. He believes that an intruder invaded the house and murdered the young beauty queen. So do I, actually, although there's always that little part of me that suspects the parents. How else to explain the pineapple on the table, or that weird ransom note? To totally exclude the parents, one has to believe them incapable of carrying out such an evil act, and we know from the newspapers and television that such evil acts (and far worse) occur every day. We can't seem to rely on the evidence, which points to just about everyone in JonBenet's life as a possible suspect. Douglas does a great job of condensing the pertinent facts down to a few pages, but his analysis will do nothing to stop the endless speculation concerning the case that continues unabated to this day.
On the whole, I'd say "The Cases That Haunt Us" is a worthy effort. It's not going to solve any of these cases, or even bring about a seismic shift in how we view these crimes, but it is a well-written account of these nightmarish events. I would definitely recommend this book to someone just starting to read about famous crimes. Douglas's ability to summarize the evidence is masterful, always a plus when you're refreshing the old memory banks or just charting a course into the dark waters of real life murder and mayhem. If you're an old hand looking for new information on Saucy Jacky, Lizzie, and JonBenet, I'd probably look elsewhere. You have already seen everything that appears here, and you have already heard about the suspects Douglas names in these pages.
Amazon.com
This book is an overview of the career of the FBI man who nearly single-handedly created the system for personality profiling of violent offenders. If there's a big-time multiple murderer from about 1950 until now who hasn't been interviewed by Robert Ressler, he probably refused the honor. Indispensable reading for serial killer mavens, and better written than John Douglas and Mark Olshaker's Mindhunter, this book is packed with fascinating details from dozens of cases: The killer John Joubert, for example, started his life of cruelty as a kid one day when he was riding his bike with a sharpened pencil in his hand. He rode up next to a little girl who was walking, and stabbed her in the back with the pencil. Ouch!
Book Description
Face-to-face with some of America's most terrifying killers, FBI veteran and ex-Army CID colonel Robert Ressler learned form then how to identify the unknown monsters who walk among us--and put them behind bars. Now the man who coined the phrase "serial killer" and advised Thomas Harris on The Silence of the Lambs shows how is able to track down some of today's most brutal murderers.Just as it happened in The Silence of the Lambs, Ressler used the evidence at a crime scene to put together a psychological profile of the killers. From the victims they choose, to the way they kill, to the often grotesque souvenirs they take with them--Ressler unlocks the identities of these vicious killers of the police to capture.And with his discovery that serial killers share certain violent behaviors, Ressler's gone behind prison walls to hear the bizarre first-hand stories countless convicted murderers. Getting inside the mind of a killer to understand how and why he kills, is one of the FBI's most effective ways of helping police bring in killers who are still at large.Join Ressler as he takes you on the hunt for toady's most dangerous psychopaths. It is a terrifying journey you will not forget.
Customer Reviews:
A chilling, concise skeleton key to understanding serial murder.......2007-07-12
In response to Michael J. Tresca's review, wherein he states:
"Alas, truth is stranger than fiction, and the tales Ressler tells are positively awful. There' just one problem: we've heard all of this before.
Where? That'd be "Mindhunter: Inside the FBI's Elite Serial Crime Unit," by John E. Douglas, a man I can only assume was Ressler's protégé. It's a bit murky as to their relationship (the two reference each other, but not often)."
...it should be noted that Mindhunter came out AFTER Ressler's book, not before.
Otherwise, much of his review is fine. I would note, though, that Ressler's book is far superior, and he is far more modest and measured than Douglas. Douglas makes himself the center of every story, often quite lovingly, and does an unsettling amount of grandstanding about his contributions. Ressler lets the stories speak for themselves and doesn't try to outshine his subjects in importance. I've also read that one of the killers Douglas claims to have interviewed angrily denied he ever spoke to him. Douglas's vanity makes him almost unbearable at times, and with the subject at hand, that can smack of being a bit mercenary and out of touch.
The stories Ressler tells about himself tend to be more interesting, too. For instance, he speaks of people mysteriously losing weight while working on cases, without seeming to change their diets or other habits. Frankly, the stories in this book are so distressing that I, too, experienced a sudden inexplicable weight loss after reading it. This is the kind of thing that is very hard to take.
Ressler dispenses this disturbing material very well. I've read more than a dozen books of this type, and Ressler's towers over the rest. I'd recommend anyone interested in the fascinating subjects of abnormal psychology and psychological profiling read this book first if they'd like a skeleton key to understanding aspects of human behavior so dark they can seem all but forever unfathomable.
Whoever Fights Monsters.......2007-06-27
Although written in 1992 this work outlines the evolution of the VICAP program from concept through to implementation. It provides a hands-on insight into law enforcement's commitment to track and categorise violent criminal behavior. An interesting read.
Awesome.......2006-05-20
This is a great book for understanding how criminal profiling works and the depth of depravity of compassion in a psychopath!
Robert Ressler Book.......2006-03-06
The book was fascinating. It gave a good insight into the origins of criminal profiling and leads the reader through a number of cases from Robert's career. A must read for people interested in abnormal psychology, forensics and profiling.
Looking into an abyss.......2006-02-23
I initially read this book when I was 19yrs old. For years I had read everything I could get my hands on regarding serial killers but none came close to this book. Now ten years later, I have yet to find a book on the subject that I thought did a more thorough job than this one. I was terrified reading it and found myself looking behind every corner and at every neighbor thinking he may be a serial killer!
Book Description
In 1976 the body of Anna Mae Aquash, an American Indian luminary, was found frozen in the Badlands of South Dakota—or so the FBI said. After a suspicious autopsy and a rushed burial, friends had Aquash exhumed and found a .32-caliber bullet in her skull.
Using this scandal as a point of departure, The Unquiet Grave opens a tunnel into the dark side of the FBI and its subversion of American Indian activists. But the book also discovers things the Indians would prefer to keep buried. What unfolds is a sinuous tale of conspiracy, murder, and cover-up that stretches from the plains of South Dakota to the polished corridors of Washington, D.C.
First-time author Steve Hendricks sued the FBI over several years to pry out thousands of unseen documents about the events. His work was supported by the prestigious Fund for Investigative Journalism. Hendricks, who has freelanced for The Nation, Boston Globe, Orion, and public radio, is one of those rare reporters whose investigative tenacity is accompanied by grace with the written word.
Customer Reviews:
We need the whole story and more facts because it affected all our lives.The Federal injustice continues to this day........2007-08-18
Steve Hendricks did the best job of any in documenting what happened during this period of time between American Indian people and no-Indian people in one document.
I was deeply committed and involved within the Indian communities because for some strange reason yet unknown to me I have been very close to Indian people since my youth.
I suffered and experienced the daily abject poverty with them in their homes and could not realize why they could never share what most of the people called the American Dream. I knew part of the answer was almost a
total culture of poverty rather than the Indian cultures I had learned about in school.Multi-generational abuse,physical,sexual,and substance abuse,was the direct cause of much dysfunctional behavior I witnessed.I decided early in my life and to do whatever I could do to help change whatever I could in my lifetime that would stop this injustice. I would give my own life to change that.
I always deplored most organizational efforts to accomplish anything however I joined the Michigan Chapter of the Great Lakes Indian Youth Alliance and the American Indian Movement. The reason why I joined is because for the first time in my life I could feel the surge of self respect,self actualization and spirituality within these organizations,and the individuals and Indian Communities involved at that time.It was a refreshing healing wind of change like you feel after a thunderstorm.
I actually thought the young brilliant Indian Warriors were street/woods wise and spiritual enough to avoid the pitfalls of other dominant culture civil and equal rights organizations but ultimately as far as I am concerned the movement became more and more corrupt exactly like the enemy as it matured.
Individual's like Russell Means,Dennis Banks,Ed McGaa,Floyd Westerman and others less visible continued to self actualize and work hard to individually accomplish the original goals of their and our youth in rather unusual ways after AIM died. I know that each one is committed to do what they can do to improve the lives of their families,extended families,and Indian Nations. Sometime being human they fall short of our and even their expectations. They do what they can as Warrior in spite of almost total overwhelming repression by the United States Government and the American society. However humanly flawed they remain in my mind truly contemporary Warriors of this century.
I also feel Steve Hendricks and many others are doing their best to bring out the truth and documentation of constitutional and personal injustices of those days.I expect other individuals with information to come forth with their knowledge and writing because our society is even much farther away from the truth and principals that this Country was founded on today.
As far as I am concerned whoever killed the active committed lives of the Freedom Fighters,Ray Robinson,Anna Mae Aquash, Neogeshick Aquash the FBI Agents, and the others made a serious mestake and destroyed the purity, beauty,and Sacred Place of the Movement. The murderer or murderers who called for the hit on the precious Warrior Anna Mae Aquash in that instant killed AIM with the same bullet. They will pay for that decision deep within their soul.
I was pleased to see a that the Law Library at the Cleveland-Marshall College of Law purchased the copy of The Unquiet Grave I am reading for their students.
It is my hope and prayer that the youth of today will read everything they can get their hands on work, and commit to make justice a reality in their lifetimes.
As long as this abuse, poverty, and injustice remains in our society no one will be free. Until the truth is known we will all be in a "unquiet grave" just waiting for the next shovel of dirt.
If you want to broaden your knowledge,be alive,and aware at least read this book and those that will be forthcoming.
don't bother.......2007-06-26
How this tome ever got past the editors and into print I will never know. What is the author trying to say? It is never clear. The first part of the book seemingly is about, among many, many, many other things (way too many if you ask me), the murder of Annie Mae Aquash - and great detail is included about the circumstances surrounding the discovery of her death. Abruptly at some point in the 2nd part of the book, we find ourselves at the trial of one of three people accused of her murder (none of whom were ever mentioned in part one, and, as to whom there is virtually no biographical detail included). At the same time, the book includes voluminous biographical detail and digression about many, many, many other individuals, for no particular reason it seems. I finished the book because I wanted to see if the author was going to bring this tangled mass of trivial and unimportant details together in some coherent way, but alas, all I got for the effort was high blood pressure. Among the book's many other flaws are these: the author reports on at least one trial, but seemingly has no grasp of trial tactics or evidentiary rules - he chastises lawyers for not bringing up details that (a) would have been irrelevant; and (2) would have been inadmissible; the author too often says things like "but we will never know . . . " about things that are perfecty checkable, things he could have fact-checked if he had chosen to; and, the author seems to believe in a big conspiracy or two that must explain all of the loose ends he leaves, but he never explains what those conspiracies were about and who was in them. Has he ever heard of topic sentences? I am astounded to read the other positive reviews posted here about this book. I consider it to have been an utter waste of my time, and a disservice to the topics he attempted to cover.
What Did Andrew Jackson Do?.......2007-05-27
Mr. Hendricks' book is burdened with the same dichotomy (Multiple Personality Disorder/schizophrenia) as the Euro-invaders' ever-shifting policy/pendulum on what to do about "the Indian problem." The first part of this book does a salutary job of explaining to the unfamiliar some historical bases of the white "Westward Ho!" "Manifest Destiny" expansion across the North American continent, its effect on Native Americans, and the rise ("AIM is good") of the American Indian Movement. But parts of the second part - the fall ("AIM is bad,") could pass for being ghost-written by nemesis J Edgar Hoover and his COINTELPRO'd FBI.
Though flawed in some "facts" and reporterage, Unquiet Grave is marketable and intelligible to the masses and it is important that wider cultures read this (in the Aretha Franklin sense to RESPECT the Native cultures, delight in diversity, and abhor forced "assimilation and "THINK") about what the US Government did - not only in the Miner's Canary sense (If the US Government so cavalierly abrogates/ignores its treaties with the First Nations before this Nation - what does that tell other sovereign nations with whom we seek to entreat?) but also the Santayana sense ("those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.")
For a fuller understanding of Wounded Knee I (1890); Wounded Knee II (1973,) and context, this reviewer recommends my List "The water's still running and the grass still growing, so .? " including
Custer Died for Your Sins: An Indian Manifesto (Civilization of the American Indian)
and
Robert Redford/Sundance Incident at Oglala: The Leonard Peltier Story
What did Bill Janklow do? /TundraVision, Amazon Reviewer "What do you mean 'illegal alien,' Pilgrims?"
A great informative book!.......2007-04-11
If you are looking for a book that gets right to the heart of government corruption in Native American history yesterday and today this is the book for you to read! The writer has done a wonderfull job researching and digging to get to facts that our inept and sickening government would like to turn a blind eye to. A must read for all people and definately for those who wish to enlighten themselves.
Elegant writing seldom seen in non-fiction books.......2007-02-01
The Unquiet Grave is written as a non-fiction book should be written--with verve, wit, and balance. The author, Hendricks, sifts through reams of information without imparting the pain of his research to the reader; with a novelist's ear and eye he makes every word count, every paragraph visual.
Throughout the book he weaves interviews, news accounts, court records, and censored FBI documents into a story you learn to care about. He does not shy from critical analysis of historical events or of the characters and parties involved, which is refreshing given the geography of most U.S. journalism today.
If you're concerned about the abuses of government powers (past and present), if you think injustice needs to be properly witnessed, then flip through The Unquiet Grave. It's a good read, a hopeful beacon in the fog and the darkness of the American political psyche. Support an investigative journalist working in the heartland of the U.S. empire--they are a dying breed on a punishing road.
Amazon.com
Some authors are worth reading because of their area of expertise, even when their objectivity may be questionable. This is true of John Douglas, who follows up his Mindhunter with another assortment of his observations and opinions from his ex-job as the FBI's top expert on constructing behavioral profiles of criminals. This book contains several passages of interest: a detailed discussion of the modus operandi versus the "signature" of a murder, and how each relates to motive; thoughts on how the press and the public can be used to flush out a killer; a taxonomy of pedophiles, with a chapter on how to protect children from them; a detailed analysis of the savage sex-murder of a female Marine; a profile of the Nicole Simpson/Ron Goldman killer; and a report on how the courts are handling behavioral testimony. Always biased, often egotistical, but uniquely experienced--that's Douglas.
Book Description
There is only one John Douglas.
We first met Douglas in Mindhunter, which told the story of his brilliant and terrifying with the FBI until his retirement in 1995. And now, again with coauthor Mark Olshaker, he goes even further. We accompany him on the Journey Into Darkness that marks every case he examines; every instance in which he helps police identify the unknown perpetrator of a violent series of rapes, kidnappings, or murders through his remarkable criminal personality profiling.
In this fascinating audio experience, we journey with some of the brilliant and sensitive agents John has trained, who have carried on his work. We take a startlingly fresh look at the murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman as if John had been asked by the LAPD to identify the killer through behavioral profiling. And we hear how a lifetime around killers and their victims has shaped his views on justice and punishment.
The Journey Into Darkness is a perilous one, but ultimately a hopeful one as well. For not only do we see from the men and women who track the most sadistic of criminals what a powerful weapon profiling has become, we also get advice on how we might better keep our children, our families and ourselves safe from harm. By making the Journey Into Darkness with John Douglas and his colleagues, we come away with an insight into the human condition that no one else can offer.
Customer Reviews:
Great Read!!.......2007-09-16
This book was a great reading experience. Douglas is an experienced storyteller, and being that these are not just stories, but actual accounts of reality make is a bonus! This book was a satisfing buy for my evil sweettooth. I loved it. It was worth adding to my collection of true crime interests.
There are Lot of Other Victims not Mentioned in the dedication!.......2007-06-22
I won't go much further. John E. Douglas is an excellent expert on true crime particularly the gruesome serial killings. I got the book before the Green River Killer was identified as Gary Leon Ridgway. Anyway, he analyzes cases and gives his opinions but he is pro-law enforcement most of the time. He doesn't like to give the benefit of the doubt towards the law enforcement community. Sadly, his dedication in the beginning of the book mentions only a portion of the victims in the book which some are well-known like Ron Goldman and Nicole Brown Simpson and the victims of Bernardo-Homolka crimes in Canada, as well as a few others. There were others who were murdered, brutalized, and their names are bearly mentioned in the book. Unless he changed their names to protect their true identity which I doubt because most of the murdered victims are identified. Since he is pro-law enforcement, he may not have a total open view of the criminals themselves. Granted, he knows how to identify the criminal whether a child molester or serial killer from his actions. He aids in their capture, prosecution, and their sentence whether death penalty or life in prison. He doesn't suggest ways to prevent such disasters such as a pedophile or serial killer from becoming such a creature because they aren't really human.
The Art of Detecting Serial Killers.......2005-04-15
This book explains his career as a criminal profiler for the FBI. John Douglas solved unusual kinds of crimes done by those who kill or rape or torture because they enjoy it. Profiling requires "creative-type thinkers", not accounting or engineering types. They must work well both alone and in groups. They need good judgment based on instinct, which can't be defined in an objective nature. Douglas says serial killers are mostly made, not born. Most come from broken or dysfunctional homes, and are victims of some type of abuse. Real-life killers were used as models for "The Silence of the Lambs", "Red Dragon", and "Psycho". The modus operandi is what the offender does, the signature is why he does it (that doesn't change). Virtually all multiple killers are male. Chapter 2 gives an example of solving murders where there was only a vague eyewitness description.
Chapter 3 shows many examples where profiling was used to describe the habits of killers. Chapter 4 tells of more cases, some of which will never be dramatized for TV as they are too horrible. Chapter 5 deals with pedophiles. One warning sign would be a man whose house has games and amusements that appeal to children. Chapter 6 tells of the possible dangers to young children. One example is the murder of Megan Kanka. It doesn't tell you that her murderer was released from prison against all advice because a new governor wanted to cut costs. Fast footwork by propagandists made it appear to be the fault of the parents since "they didn't know". I wonder if this law affected the crime rate? Chapter 7 tells of the Collins family; its too long. Chapter 8 tells of the murder of Suzanne Collins, a sad tragedy. Chapter 9 tells of the after-effects on Suzanne's parents, and their support group. Chapter 10 is about the savage murder of a wife and her two girls. It established the use of criminal profiling at trials. Chapter 11 tells about the crimes of a rapist-murderer near Arlington Va. [Was this the inspiration for Patricia Cornwell's "Post Mortem"?] When they noted a 3-year gap in the crimes, they looked for someone who had been in prison for burglary; they found a likely suspect. This suspect was convicted, the first person in the world to be executed on the basis of DNA evidence.
Chapter 12 is about the unsolved murders of Ron Goldman and Nicole Brown Simpson. John Douglas was not called in by the police and the prosecutors, but has formed a strong opinion of the case. [Ever notice how many people's opinions are set by the first news and can never consider the facts in the case?] Note that his discussion of the attack omits the fact that two different knives were used (autopsy report). Douglas talked of the "widespread conspiracy" argument, but didn't read Steven Singular's "Legacy of Deception" which tells how a journalist in Denver got news about the LAPD! The timeline says O. J. Simpson is innocent. The limo driver arrived at 10:22 and saw no one enter or leave until the 11pm trip to the airport. Any evidence like a glove or blood drops had to be planted the next day. Ron Goldman was 5'9" and 175 lbs. His unexpected visit to Nicole's place put him in the wrong place at the wrong time. Nicole had been involved with another man who was 5'9", 175 lbs, but a few years older. In the dark the killers attacked the wrong man, then the witness who came out of the house. If her boyfriend then went into hiding, then that would confirm this theory.
Chapter 13 gives the authors views on crime and punishment. Rehabilitation which makes a good guy out of a bad guy is best. But some offenders can never be rehabilitated and must be isolated from society. Capital punishment prevents the worst from recommitting their crimes. But the problem is to be sure those convicted are truly guilty. Criminals are manufactured from a poor home life. [But isn't this the result of poverty in many cases?] The problem is apparently without a practical solution.
Sequel to Mindhunter.......2005-03-30
John Douglas continues showing the inside of the criminal mind in Journey. High Profile cases like O.J. Simpson are included. Other cases are also included that are not as well known such as Suzanne Collins, a Marine killed by a civilian on post. As with the first installment, not for the faint of heart or anyone offended by graphic descriptions or language. Well written and easily to understand, a real page turner.
A real Journey into Darkness.......2003-11-26
I have been an avid true crime reader for several years although this is the first book that I have read by John E. Douglas. This book makes you see the darkness that a lot of people seem to have inside and what they are prepared to do to realise their fantasies whatever the cost. I was not able to put down this book even though it filled me with anxiety and sadness because the title is true - he really does take you on a journey into Darkness, although John Douglases telling of these brutal cases is masterly. He explains even the most complicated of theories in a way that is understandable to all. After reading this book I have already ordered his other books and can't wait for them to be delivered. Gripping stuff!!!
Amazon.com
Forensic pathologist Michael Baden was a medical examiner in New York City for more than 25 years. Now he works for the New York State Police and teaches forensic medicine. This engrossing book covers: (1) several famous cases, including Baden's personal re-examination of the autopsy findings for Martin Luther King and John F. Kennedy; (2) unusual cases Baden had as medical examiner for NYC, such as an autopsy on a dining room table at the Plaza Hotel; (3) how medical examiners decide on means of death, with a section on poisons; (4) the history of coroners and medical examiners since 12th century England; (5) disturbing politics involved in the office of the Chief Medical Examiner of NYC; (6) identification of the dead; (7) time of death; (8) multiple-murder cases; (9) an almost perfect murder; (10) close calls, including near deaths during sex; (11) cases of mistaken diagnosis; and (12) autopsy findings that shed light on what happened in the Attica uprising.
Book Description
* JFK's autopsy failed to disclose crucial evidence.
* The deaths of John Belushi and Elvis Presley were far more complex than anyone has let on.
* Decisive medical findings in the von Bulow affair were consistently overlooked.
These are but three of the shocking revelations in Dr. Michael Baden's first-person, no-holds-barred account of his distinguished career in forensic pathology. In determining the causes of tens of thousands of deaths, from those of presidents and rock stars to victims of serial killings, exotic sex rituals, mass disasters, child abuse and drug abuse, Baden has come to the unavoidable conclusion that the search for scientific truth is often sullied by the pressures of expediency. He produces dramatic evidence to demonstrate that political intrigue, influence peddling, and professional incompetence have created a national crisis in forensic medicine.
"A fascinating look into the mechanics of forensics and a disconcerting lesson in the politics of death." -- The New York Times Book Review
From the Paperback edition.
Customer Reviews:
AMAZING WHAT DEATH CAN TELL YOU!!.......2007-08-17
What a read!! If you think a dead person has no info to give after their loss of life, you are dead wrong. Amazing what can be learned from a body even after some time AND how this arthur knows how to explain all of these findings in detail. I learned so much about what happens to a body after death, the time period when certain items occur, and what these details can tell a coroner who knows what he is looking for and how. I also learned that all medical examiners are not really qualified to give a complete/accurate autopsy results. Let me say this...if you ever considered a murder, or suspected a murder, or are not sure if someone you know was murdered....READ THIS BOOK...THIS IS A BOOK YOU WILL NOT WANT TO PUT DOWN AND WILL LEAVE YOU HUNGRY FOR MORE OF THIS TYPE INFO!!
An Insight into the World of Forensics Death and Murder and Suicide!.......2007-06-21
Dr. Michael Baden is married to Linda Kenney Baden who is representing Phil Spector in his criminal trial in the murder of Lana Clarkson, a Hollywood actress. Dr. Baden's book is an easy read, very informative, and revealing. He cuts out the nonsense that goes into conspiracy theories like John F. Kennedy, Marilyn Monroe, Elvis Presley, etc. as well as explains the differences between classes even in death as the upper classes do their best to cover up embarrassing situations like the woman choking. Dr. Baden is great at explaining why death occurs and the importance of forensics pathologists and medical examiners needed in our country. There is no doubt that some cases can be suspicious if not investigated further. I do believe that anybody who gets cremated should have an autopsy in order to know that the death was not caused by homicide but by natural causes. Anyway, Dr. Baden's experiences and his dedication to his career as a medical examiner in New York City is most helpful in probably explaining the process of his profession which he loves very much. His wife is an attorney who specializes in the forensics part of the crime. I would have liked to have seen photos of the author and others in their dedicated profession.
Bad writing.......2007-03-08
Interesting content, really poor writing. The whole book had no clear path. Just poorly organized.
America should always listen to Baden........2006-03-01
This thoughtful and interesting book showed that this medical examiner stands above the others. More people should have listened to his evidence in the O. J. Simpson case. In case after case, his careful examinations brought justice where others had failed. Baden is a giant in hsi profession.
Forensics at its Best.......2005-09-27
As a loyal CIS fan, Confessions of a Medical Examiner takes the reader into the fascinating and real world of forensic science. What takes 40 minutes to solve on television in reality can take days, weeks, months and sometimes never.
Michael Baden gives terrific insigt into the life and career of a medical examiner, who, unlike a hospital pathologist, autopies for three kinds of unnatural deaths - suicides, homicides and accidents. This is an untaught specialty and according to Dr. Baden, a stepchild of the medical profession. Training comes as apprentices in a medical examiner's office.
Each chapter is riveting in detail and forensic lore - for any crime buff, Confessions of a Medical Examiner should be on the "must read" list.
Marianne Gordon
Amazon.com
"Profiler" Russell Vorpagel looks back at a career that encompasses some of the most horrific crimes in the FBI's files. The gruesome accounts throughout the book--from the former mental patient who eviscerated his victims and drank their blood because he believed that his own blood was turning to powder, to the middle-aged woman found half-naked amid strewn sex toys in a burning house--are held together by the framework of a class taught by Vorpagel to students (including police officers, FBI agents, and attorneys) trying to learn more about how he and other FBI profilers analyze a crime scene and determine, with sometimes frightening accuracy, what sort of person did it. The techniques used by Vorpagel and his associates allow them to determine the age, sex, race, physical appearance, and habits of some of the most deranged killers so accurately that several suspects have been identified based almost exclusively on their profiles. The book is a fascinating and often disturbing glimpse into the minds of people who kill for reasons most of us can't even fathom. --Lisa Higgins
Book Description
A victim is stabbed nineteen times but left in a peaceful, resting position. Was her killer a raging psychotic, or as timid as she was?
In a charred house a partially clothed woman is found in her bed with a pornographic magazine and a mirror. Did she die in the fire -- or at a sex killer's hands?
Before it was immortalized in The Silence of the Lambs, the FBI Behavioral Science Profiling Unit was pioneered by Russell Vorpagel. Now the legendary profiler takes you into the most intriguing cases of his career -- actual cases of serial killings, sex crimes, celebrity murders, and hostage takings.
Showing how profiling turns the chaos and blood of a crime scene into a psychological snapshot of a suspect -- his age, his personality, even the model car he drives -- Vorpagel illuminates the twisted minds of the most vicious criminals of our time.
From the vampire murderer Richard Trenton Case -- who consumed the blood of his victims -- to Vorpagel's own duel with an assassin on the island of St. Croix,
Profiles in Murder is the chilling real-life story of the human monsters who share our streets -- and the men and women who hunt them down.
Customer Reviews:
excellent book.......2007-05-13
I would suggest this book to anyone to read it is a excellent book
Profiles in Murder.......2005-10-17
While this book outlined in detail the experiences of the profiler, it was set in a classroom type format. This was distracting to me because I wanted more information on serial killers. Having profiling explained over and over detracts from the information; I got it the first time around. I did enjoy the book and learned about how profiling got its start.
a profile in stellar crime-fighting.......2003-08-28
I believe I've read all the books by Douglas, Ressler, and all the others writing about psychological profiling, yet I still found this an absorbing and fascinating book. Vorpagel presents a number of cases in which the crime scene is not always what it appears to be, and the unexpected (but plausible) explanations are more surprising than the rabbit-out-of-the-hat endings of 99.9% of crime fiction. The story of the training exercise in Chapter 7 alone is worth the price of the book. Highly recommended.
It might have a purpose for some, but not me.......2002-06-17
Although most reviewers of this book have given it excellent scores I am afraid that I will have to break the trend. Had it not been for the coverage of the Richard Trenton Chase case (a delusional psychotic who killed his victims and then drank their blood because he though his own was turning to powder) and a few other interesting accounts this book includes I would have gave it two stars. For starters the premise of this book is that you join a classroom of aspiring criminal profilers. While some of the discussion its entertaining, at many times it leaves the reader feeling like they are sitting in a classroom. Do you find sitting in a classroom fun? This book does not probe the depths of human depravity and the minds of the depraved as the title might imply. It merely gives accounts of depravity and then challenges the reader to find out what of the offenders personality was reflected in the crime before revealing the answer. I would not call this book terrifying but would rather say "shocking". It does not create in the reader a feeling of fear for the hapless and helpless victims of crime but instead just gives you in your face gory accounts of crimes and crime scenes. I suppose I have ragged on this book enough now and can shed light on its good side and give my opinion as to who would benifit from this book. As said earlier this book includes an engaging account of the Richard Trenton Chase case and does have a few insights into the dynamics of the criminal mind. It also provides plenty of info as to how an offenders personality will be reflected in his/her crime scene. I would say that this book would be good for those involved or who wish to be involved in police work, investigations or profiling but not many others. If you are a detective and wish to test your IQ as a sleuth (or to build it up) then go for it. I will put it this way- think of the game of chess. Now think of a chess player and a non chess player. The chess player will undoubtedly be absorbed into a book like "Chess Tactics for Tournament Players" because chess is something he is into and he desires to know more, however the non chess player will be quite bored and unentertained by the same book. The same thing applies to this book. If you are an aspiring profiler then this will definitely entertain and better prepare you for your line of work. On the other hand, if you are just your average true crime fan and are looking for in depth interesting tales of criminals, their life stories and captures the look elsewhere. Robert Resslers Whoever Fights Monsters or I Have Lived in the Monster will whet your criminal profiling appetite without sounding like a seminar.
Mixed Emotions.......2002-01-18
While reading this book I had mixed emotions,(kinda like watching your mother-in-law drive off a cliff in your new Mercedes). To begin with, I loved certain aspects of this book. On the other hand, the editing was horrid! This book leaves no doubt about the expertise of Mr. Vorpagel's knowledge and ability as a criminal profiler and it is written in a unique format. It is presented as if Mr. Vorpagel is teaching a "light" course on criminal profiling to a class of 28 students, however, he only designates 4 class members as actual participants that he communicates with in a question and answer forum that encompasses a two-week long course. He picks two women and two men. The first woman is Asian, a public defender from Fresno; the second, a Latino,
works with the California Dept. of Corrections. The first man, described as pale-faced, is with the Sacramento District Attorney's Office; and finally, a young African-American patrolman from San Francisco. I assume he presents it in this manner to keep the confusion to a minimum. For the most part, it works, but I would still get confused from time to time, as to who was doing the talking. I attribute this to poor writing. Another plus in dealing with a small group of people is that you get to know the varied personalities and you feel like you are part of the class.
Another thing I liked about the presentation was that Mr. Vorpagel teaches by example. I found this to be a very precise way to make his points and he took them case-by-case, one at a time. In this way, I felt that I came away from each example with the maximum amount of knowledge, understanding and retention. It also made the reading much more exciting and the book much harder to put down.
As I mentioned, there are some flaws in this book, and a few are glaring, but in the overall picture, the "good" outweighs the "bad" and I would still highly recommend it. I know that I learned a great deal from reading it.
Average customer rating:
- a pleasant way to spend a few hours
- A Murder Involving Unsavory Members of the FBI
- Poor even for Truman
- this is the ultimate mystery by Truman.
- This is her turf.
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Murder at the FBI (Capital Crime Mysteries)
Margaret Truman
Manufacturer: Fawcett
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
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Truman, Margaret | ( T ) | Authors, A-Z | Mystery & Thrillers | Subjects | Books
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